BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Departmental Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) display energy certificates and  (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Patrick McFadden: This Department will place in the Library a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each property occupied by this Department.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 13 March 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (1096/2008) asking for display energy certificates and advisory reports to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The Insolvency Service is placing a copy of these items in the Library in respect of each property occupied by the agency for which they are required.
	Display Energy Certificates and advisory reports have been obtained for
	Bloomsbury Street
	Birmingham—Cannon House
	Birmingham—Cobalt Square
	Croydon
	Leeds.
	 Letter from Tim Moss, dated 13 March 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 5 February 2009, UIN 256038, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	As requested I have arranged for a copy of our Display Energy Certificate and the advisory report to be placed in the Library.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what IT security strategy his Department has in place; what steps are being taken to ensure the policy is being followed; what policy is in place on the use of encryption when electronic data are sent externally; and what sanctions are in place for use should the policy not be followed.

Patrick McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	BERR is compliant with the security policies contained in the Government Security Policy Framework including those for information security and assurance.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy.

Patrick McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	It is not in the interests of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to the hierarchy of IT security within the Department. Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how many vulnerabilities have been detected as a result of such scans in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	It is not in the interest of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to electronic breaches of security of department's IT systems. Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks.

Patrick McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	BERR is compliant with HMG IA Standard No 4 —Communication, Security and Cryptography for the encryption of data. BERR follows CESG guidance on the use of the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) communications security protocols in order to protect wireless networks carrying protectively marked (up to RESTRICTED/IL3) traffic. The configuration and operation standards for WPA2 are set out in CESG's Infosec Manual Y, Use of WPA2 Wireless Security in Government Systems.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions  (a) IT security policies have been breached by employees and  (b) a member of staff has been sanctioned for a breach of such policies in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that government handles and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	Compliance arrangements comprise a system of self assessment, accreditation, assurance reporting, audit and review.
	In the last 12 months fewer than five staff have broken BERR IT security policies and have been sanctioned for the breach.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Robert Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's entertainment budget was in each year since its inception.

Patrick McFadden: This Department was formed in June 2007. In 2007-08, the budget for entertainment was £813,105. In 2008-09, the budget for entertainment is £749,442.

Departmental Official Visits

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1311W, on departmental official visits, which agency deals with overnight accommodation for his Department; and how much has been paid to this agency since his Department was established.

Patrick McFadden: Expotel Hotel Reservations Ltd. deal with UK hotel accommodation on behalf of BERR.
	Since BERR was established on 28 June 2007, the following hotel accommodation has been booked through Expotel:
	28 June 2007 to 31 March 2008
	6,772 nights at a total cost of £705,175.32.
	1 April 2008 to 28 February 2009
	8,790 nights at a total cost of £955,329.40.
	BERR does not make a direct payment to Expotel. Expotel earn a commission from hotels for the bookings taken.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer of 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1125W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

Patrick McFadden: A junior Minister in BERR has undertaken training at public expense since 1 January 2008.

Departmental Training

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's policy is on holding departmental away days outside his Department's buildings.

Patrick McFadden: There are no central rules governing the holding of departmental away days.
	Away days are a useful development tool but as learning and development budgets are delegated to local units within BERR, it is up to those units to determine where they hold away days and for local budget holders to ensure value for money. This will depend on the nature and objectives of the away day and availability of departmental premises.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean of 3 December 2008 and 13 January 2009 on the withholding of retention sums, reference FD7218.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 3 March 2009
	 I responded to the hon. Member on 1 March 2009.

Tourism: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the recommendations in the English Tourism Council's report Sea Change on seaside towns in England.

Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
	The English Tourism Council's report 'Sea Change' was published in 2001. I have made no recent assessment of the impact of that report on seaside towns, but it remains the case, as the report concluded, that seaside towns make a significant contribution to the cultural identity of England and contain some of the finest examples of our built heritage.
	In a recent response to the Government Select Committee report, 'Coastal Towns', Government made clear the underlying principles that the visitor economy needs to be part of a wider agenda to regenerate and diversify the economies of coastal areas. The development of tourism has an important role to play but it is only one part of a bigger picture and it must also be linked with wider regeneration work in the region.
	Last year my Department announced a programme called Sea Change, which will run for three years to 2011. It is intended to boost regeneration in coastal areas through investment in culture and heritage, and, giving £45 million in total, it will encourage new visitors to coastal areas and help support and enrich existing communities.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Young People's Learning Agency will be able to direct academies on their  (a) admissions,  (b) curriculum,  (c) behaviour policy and  (d) pay arrangements.

Jim Knight: The academies clauses in the Apprenticeships, Children, Skills and Learning Bill give powers to the Secretary of State which will enable him to require the YPLA to carry out certain academies functions. But the Secretary of State can only ask the YPLA to exercise, on his behalf, powers which he has himself, either in law, or through academy funding agreements.
	Funding agreements contain requirements and certain express direction powers in relation to admissions. The YPLA, on behalf of the Secretary of State, would consider complaints and objections which relate to funding agreement admissions requirements, and could take action to remedy any breaches. That could include, for example, requiring an academy to change its admission arrangements to achieve compliance with the funding agreement. In relation to the express powers of direction available to the Secretary of State, we are considering whether or not it would be appropriate to authorise the YPLA to use these powers, relating to admissions either with or without the Secretary of State's prior approval.
	Funding agreements also contain curriculum requirements and cover the need to have in place a behaviour policy and pay arrangements. However, there are no specific direction powers in these areas. Behaviour policies and pay are areas where academies are free to adopt the arrangements which they believe will best support raising standards.

Departmental Public Appointments

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has responsibility who previously had careers in the banking industry.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Voice coach training is not part of the core training and development offering available to staff in the Department. However, local managers are able to book external courses based on identified need and value for money. A search of local records would result in disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence: Curriculum

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse issues among children through the national curriculum.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We agree that schools have an important role in raising awareness of domestic violence and abuse issues by giving children and young people the knowledge and skills to not only deal with their own anger but anger and violence directed towards them. Through the non-statutory framework for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education children and young people are taught a number of the skills pertaining to relationships with partners, friends and family, thus promoting harmonious relationships. In October 2008, we announced our intention to make PSHE statutory, in recognition of the key role it plays in equipping children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need to lead healthy and successful lives. At the same time we launched an independent review of how the principle that PSHE should have a statutory status can be translated into a practicable way forward. Sir Alasdair Macdonald, the head teacher of Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets, is leading the independent review and will report in April 2009. Proposals for the statutory implementation of PSHE education will be the subject of a full public consultation. Due to the time needed for full public consultation and parliamentary process, statutory PSHE is unlikely to come into effect before 2011.
	The secondary curriculum also encourages schools to tackle social issues through cross-curricular links. For example, Citizenship teaches children and young people about legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society, basic aspects of the criminal justice system and the importance of resolving conflict fairly.

Headteachers: Pay

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained schools paid their head teachers more than  (a) £80,000,  (b) £90,000,  (c) £100,000,  (d) £110,000 and  (e) £120,000 in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information available is not sufficiently reliable to provide the requested information for head teachers only.
	The following table provides the number of local authority maintained school leadership teachers paid more than £80,000, £90,000, £100,000, £110,000 and £120,000 in March 2007 the latest information available.
	
		
			  Local authority maintained schools leadership( 1)  teachers by annual salary: March 2007( 2)  Coverage: England and Wales 
			   Number 
			 £80,000 to £89,999 740 
			 £90,000 to £99,999 290 
			 £100,000 to £109,999 90 
			 £110,000 to £119,999 20 
			 Over £120,000 20 
			 Total 1,160 
			 (1 )Includes head, deputy and assistant head teachers. (2) Provisional.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Database of Teacher Records

Pupils

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of school pupils had  (a) statemented,  (b) non-statemented and  (c) no special educational needs in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Statemented SEN pupils, non-statemented SEN pupils and pupils with no SEN as a proportion of all pupils in all schools( 1, 2) —Position in January each year 2004-08: England 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Pupils on roll 8,334,880 8,274,470 8,215,690 8,149,180 8,102,190 
			 (a) Pupils with SEN statements 247,590 242,580 236,750 229,110 223,610 
			 Incidence (percentage)(3) 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 
			   
			 (b) Pupils with SEN without statements 1,197,490 1,230,800 1,293,250 1,333,430 1,390,670 
			 Incidence (percentage)(4) 14.4 14.9 15.7 16.4 17.2 
			   
			 (c) Pupils with no SEN 6,889,800 6,801,090 6,685,690 6,586,640 6,487,910 
			 Incidence (percentage)(5) 82.7 82.2 81.4 80.8 80.1 
			 (1) Excluding dually registered pupils. (2) Including general hospital schools but note that data for pupils with SEN without statements is not collected from these schools. Incidence rates are not significantly affected. (3) Incidence of pupils—the number of pupils with statements expressed as a proportion of the number of pupils on roll. (4) Incidence of pupils—the number of pupils with SEN without statements expressed as a proportion of pupils on roll. (5) Incidence of pupils—the number of pupils with no SEN expressed as a proportion of pupils on roll.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School census 
		
	
	Figures on SEN pupils with and without statements are taken from tables 1a and 1b of the Statistical First Release on Special Educational Needs in England: January 2008, accessible via the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000794/index.shtrril.

Schools: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission research on the effect of cannabis use on academic outcomes; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: We are committed to tackling all of the harms associated with cannabis use, including poor school performance or disengagement from education. Although there is no specific research currently planned on the effects of cannabis use on academic outcomes, we will keep this under review as part of our work in relation to developing a cross-Government drugs research strategy. Through delivery of the National Drugs Strategy we will continue to drive the sustained fall in cannabis use amongst young people that we have experienced since 2001.

Schools: Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what support is available from his Department to schools which wish to introduce voluntary drug testing; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's guidance, Drugs: Guidance for Schools (DFES 2004) makes it clear that head teachers can introduce voluntary drug testing if they consider that such an approach is appropriate. It is essential that before a school takes the decision to introduce drug testing that it considers very carefully all of the factors outlined in the guidance, including whether such action will result in appropriate support for pupils most in need. In deciding whether to use this approach, schools are encouraged to consult with local partners, such as the police, who may be able to offer advice and support.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many selective state secondary schools there are in  (a) England,  (b) Leicestershire and  (c) Leicester East constituency.

Jim Knight: There are 164 local authority maintained secondary schools that select by ability in England. There are no such schools in the Leicestershire local authority area, nor in the Leicester East parliamentary constituency.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Business Growth Incentive Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of local authority business growth incentive scheme funding is not spent directly on assisting local businesses.

John Healey: Funding under the local authority business growth incentive scheme is paid as an unringfenced grant. Information about how the money is spent is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the supplementary memorandum from the Valuation Office Agency presented to the Treasury Select Committee, dated 29 October 2008, which amendments to the council tax valuation lists involving movements to a lower band were made in each billing authority in each of the years to March  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

John Healey: This information is currently being assembled for publication. I will place a copy in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has given to local authorities on the calculation of baseline footprints for the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	On Thursday 12 March the Government published a consultation on the Draft Order to implement the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). As part of the consultation package of documents, DECC published a user guide which includes guidance on how scheme participants might calculate the emissions baseline.
	The baseline year for CRC is 1 April 2010-31 March 2011. Prior to the baseline period commencing, the scheme administrators will publish detailed guidance on how scheme participants should calculate their emission baseline.

Local Government

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities operate under the committee system of executive governance.

John Healey: The Local Government Act 2000 allowed local authorities whose area had a population of less than 85,000 on 30 June 1999 to adopt a reformed, streamlined committee system of governance instead of adopting governance arrangements with an executive. We understand that the following councils currently operate such a system:
	 Council
	Alnwick district council
	Babergh district council
	Barrow-in-Furness borough council
	Berwick-upon-Tweed borough council
	Brentwood borough council
	Bridgnorth district council
	Broxbourne borough council
	Castle Morpeth borough council
	Christchurch borough council
	Corby borough council
	Craven district council
	Daventry district council
	East Cambridgeshire district council
	East Dorset district council
	East Northamptonshire district council
	Ellesmere Port and Neston borough council
	Epsom and Ewell borough council
	Forest Heath district council
	Forest of Dean district council
	Gosport borough council
	Harlow district council
	Kennet district council
	Maldon district council
	Malvern Hills district council
	Melton borough council
	Mid Suffolk district council
	North Cornwall district council
	North Warwickshire borough council
	Oadby and Wigston borough council
	Penwith district council
	Purbeck district council
	Ribble Valley borough council
	Richmondshire district council
	Runnymede borough council
	Ryedale district council
	Selby district council
	South Derbyshire district council
	South Shropshire district council
	Tandridge district council
	Teesdale district council.
	Tewkesbury borough council
	Torridge district council
	Tynedale district council
	Uttlesford district council
	Wear Valley district council
	Wellingborough borough council
	West Lindsey district council
	Weymouth and Portland borough council
	West Devon borough council
	We are aware that eight of these authorities are considering moving to executive arrangements.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount and proportion of central Government grant to local authorities comprised redistributed business rate revenue in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Business rates are pooled centrally and the revenue contributes towards funding local government alongside other grants.
	I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the details of amounts from the national business rates pool, the amounts of other grant payments and the proportion of the total that each represents, in each local authority area for 2007-08.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology is used to calculate performance reward grant; and how much funding her Department has allocated for distribution under the grant in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

John Healey: For Local Area Agreements (LAA) and Local Public Service Agreements (LPSAs) agreed prior to 2008 the total potential reward grant (if all targets are achieved) is equivalent to 2.5 per cent. of an authority's net budget requirement (the budget requirement plus dedicated schools grant less parish precepts) in the financial year prior to the start of the LAA or LPSA. In the case of two-tier areas, the net budget requirement of any district councils was also included in the calculation. Grants are paid as half revenue grant and half capital grant.
	The proportion of the potential grant payable to any authority is determined by their performance in relation to the improvement targets agreed. Local authorities are currently submitting claims and £378 million is allocated to meet these claims in 2008-9. For 2009-10 a total of £257 million has been allocated. It is difficult to accurately predict in advance the exact funding levels required as this depends upon the final performance achieved in relation to each target.

Local Government Services: Children

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have adopted National Indicator 116.

John Healey: Forty-five of local authorities have set targets in their local area agreements against National Indicator 116—Proportion of Children in Poverty. Performance data against the indicator apply to all areas in England, not just those areas that have a target.
	The full list of local authorities across England that adopted this and other National Indicators is available on the Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA) website:
	http://www.idea.gov.uk

Non-Domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 20 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1277W, on non-domestic rates, in what circumstances and in respect of which types of property automated analytical techniques were used by the Valuation Office Agency in its preparatory work for the 2010 revaluation.

John Healey: Automated techniques have been used to inform the analysis of rents of industrial property in a limited number of local authority areas.
	All final valuations will be produced by VOA staff.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter from P&O Ferries to the Minister for Local Government on retrospective port taxes.

John Healey: The letter contains information supplied to me on a confidential basis, and I am not therefore in a position to release it publicly.

Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and ( b) proportion of small businesses eligible to claim small business rate relief which do not do so.

John Healey: Data on the number of businesses who are eligible for small business rate relief and do not claim as at 31 December 2008 are currently being collected and will be available later this year.

Regeneration

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial corrections the European Commission has imposed on the UK in respect of financial irregularities in the administration of regeneration programmes.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 315W. Details are given in the Communities and Local Government resource accounts 2007-08 (HC791).

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the value for money of the contributions made by her Department to the budgets of the regional development agencies.

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government's contribution to the budgets of the Regional Development Agencies is covered by audits and performance assessments of RDAs. Annual audits are carried out by the National Audit Office for those RDAs outside of London and by the Audit commission for the London Development Agency. The Government have commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an independent evaluation of the economic impact of RDAs and will publish results from the evaluation shortly.

Regional Planning and Development

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 73-6WS, on departmental expenditure limits, which financial corrections to old European Regional Development Fund programmes the new provisions will cover.

John Healey: The departmental expenditure limits stated in the written ministerial statement of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, column 74WS, para. 4(c), cover financial corrections relating to 97-99 closure audits in the NW and NE.

Regional Planning and Development: EC Action

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 73-6WS, on departmental expenditure limits, to which programme areas the provision for bad debts on old European Regional Development Fund programmes relates.

John Healey: In the Spring Supplementary Estimate 2008-09, the Department sought non-cash provision of £8,000,000 to cover potential write-offs in respect of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes from the 1994-99 and 2000-06 programme rounds.

Rented Housing: Greater London

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) guideline and  (b) actual rent increase in each local authority in Greater London was in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The following tables set out the guideline rent increases for each local authority in London for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09.
	Information on actual rent increases applied by London local authorities is not readily available.
	
		
			   Guideline rent pd 2004-05 (£)  Guideline rent pd 2005-06 (£)  Cash change (£)  Percentage change  Guideline rent pd 2006-07 (£)  Cash change (£)  Percentage change 
			  London
			 Barnet 61.74 65.22 3.48 5.64 70.49 5.27 8.08 
			 Brent 62.20 66.25 4.05 6.51 72.13 5.88 8.88 
			 Camden 62.69 67.10 4.42 7.04 72.88 5.77 8.61 
			 City of London 61.07 64.89 3.82 6.26 69.76 4.86 7.49 
			 Croydon 62.43 65.60 3.17 5.08 70.71 5.11 7.79 
			 Ealing 60.54 63.82 3.28 5.41 68.66 4.84 7.58 
			 Enfield 59.65 62.77 3.12 5.24 67.77 5.00 7.96 
			 Greenwich 57.79 60.94 3.15 5.46 66.24 5.30 8.70 
			 Hackney 57.79 59.62 1.83 3.18 65.13 5.51 9.24 
			 Haringey 62.14 65.94 3.80 6.11 70.97 5.04 7.64 
			 Harrow 65.36 68.41 3.04 4.66 73.51 5.10 7.46 
			 Havering 55.91 58.44 2.53 4.52 64.15 5.72 9.79 
			 Hounslow 59.17 62.50 3.33 5.63 67.80 5.30 8.48 
			 Islington 63.78 67.44 3.66 5.74 73.01 5.56 8.25 
			 Lambeth 61.31 61.74 0.43 0.70 68.07 6.34 10.26 
			 Lewisham 55.94 57.88 1.94 3.46 63.59 5.72 9.88 
			 Merton 56.07 62.64 6.56 11.70 68.84 6.20 9.90 
			 Newham 56.48 57.82 1.34 2.37 62.91 5.09 8.81 
			 Redbridge 60.20 64.26 4.06 6.74 68.28 4.03 6.27 
			 Southwark 59.92 63.50 3.58 5.97 69.05 5.55 8.75 
			 Sutton 59.22 63.18 3.96 6.68 68.37 5.19 8.22 
			 Tower Hamlets 59.21 63.16 3.95 6.66 69.12 5.96 9.44 
			 Waltham Forest 59.01 60.91 1.91 3.23 66.45 5.53 9.09 
			 Wandsworth 65.70 70.75 5.05 7.68 77.01 6.26 8.85 
			 Westminster 68.62 73.21 4.59 6.69 79.19 5.97 8.16 
		
	
	
		
			   Guideline rent pd 2007-08 (£)  Cash change (£)  Percentage change  Guideline rent pd 2008-09 (£)  Cash change (£)  Percentage change 
			  London   
			 Barnet 77.77 7.28 10.32 79.42 1.65 2.12 
			 Brent 79.80 7.67 10.64 81.82 2.01 2.52 
			 Camden 83.22 10.34 14.18 85.50 2.29 2.75 
			 City of London 77.88 8.12 11.64 79.70 1.82 2.34 
			 Croydon 77.79 7.08 10.01 79.39 1.61 2.07 
			 Ealing 76.84 8.18 11.91 77.52 0.68 0.89 
			 Enfield 74.46 6.69 9.88 75.97 1.50 2.02 
			 Greenwich 73.31 7.06 10.66 75.05 1.75 2.38 
			 Hackney 71.88 6.75 10.36 73.53 1.64 2.29 
			 Haringey 77.68 6.70 9.45 79.26 1.58 2.04 
			 Harrow 80.89 7.37 10.03 82.56 1.68 2.07 
			 Havering 70.52 6.36 9.92 71.94 1.42 2.01 
			 Hounslow 75.00 7.20 10.61 76.70 1.70 2.27 
			 Islington 81.75 8.74 11.97 83.76 2.01 2.46 
			 Lambeth 76.00 7.92 11.64 78.10 2.10 2.77 
			 Lewisham 70.53 6.94 10.91 72.04 1.51 2.14 
			 Merton 76.21 7.37 10.70 78.08 1.87 2.46 
			 Newham 69.56 6.65 10.56 71.15 1.59 2.29 
			 Redbridge 75.13 6.84 10.02 76.69 1.56 2.08 
			 Southwark 76.87 7.82 11.32 78.72 1.85 2.40 
			 Sutton 75.76 7.38 10.80 77.65 1.89 2.50 
			 Tower Hamlets 77.20 8.07 11.68 79.47 2.27 2.94 
			 Waltham Forest 73.11 6.66 10.02 74.83 1.72 2.35 
			 Wandsworth 87.21 10.20 13.24 89.49 2.28 2.61 
			 Westminster 88.18 9.00 11.36 90.34 2.16 2.45

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Film: Government Assistance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the Government plan to further support the British film industry.

Barbara Follett: The Government's principal support for the UK film industry is through the film tax relief which encourages the sustainable production of culturally British films. Figures from HM Revenue and Customs tell us this provided £104 million to the industry between January 2007 and March 2008.
	The Government continue to support the British film industry through the UK Film Council. The Film Council is the Government's strategic agency for film and invests grant in aid and lottery money in developing new filmmakers, in funding exciting new British films and in getting a wider choice of films to audiences throughout the UK. The Film Council also invests in training, promoting Britain as an international filmmaking location and in raising the profile of British films abroad.
	We are in continual dialogue with the Film Council about potential new methods and ways to improve current schemes to support the industry and to help filmmakers deliver the box office and awards successes we have seen recently.
	The Public Service Broadcasters, the BBC and Channel 4, also contribute support to the industry through their film divisions.

National Lottery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was received by each of the national lottery good causes in each year since 1995, expressed in 2008-09 prices.

Barbara Follett: The table shows the total income for each of the national lottery good causes for each financial year since 1995. Figures are adjusted to 2007-08 prices, using GDP deflators for the most recent year available from the Treasury. All figures are rounded to the nearest £000.
	The sport good cause comprises the following Lottery Distributing Bodies: UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, Sports Council Wales and Sport Scotland. The arts good cause comprises Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Scottish Screen, UK Film Council and Scottish Arts Council. The millennium good cause comprises the Millennium Commission, which was dissolved in 2006-07. The heritage good cause comprises the Heritage Lottery Fund. The health, education, environment and charitable expenditure good cause comprises the Big Lottery Fund, which is the successor to the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund.
	
		
			   Amount adjusted to 2007-08 prices (£000) 
			  Sport  
			 1995-96 414,449,000 
			 1996-97 412,903,000 
			 1997-98 461,478,000 
			 1998-99 376,564,000 
			 1999-2000 336,684,000 
			 2000-01 354,988,000 
			 2001-02 355,436,000 
			 2002-03 294,489,000 
			 2003-04 252,162,000 
			 2004-05 258,795,000 
			 2005-06 258,242,000 
			 2006-07 219,656,000 
			 2007-08 217,040,000 
			   
			  The Arts  
			 1995-96 414,307,000 
			 1996-97 410,549,000 
			 1997-98 449,106,000 
			 1998-99 350,408,000 
			 1999-2000 322,940,000 
			 2000-01 333,917,000 
			 2001-02 344,006,000 
			 2002-03 288,519,000 
			 2003-04 251,233,000 
			 2004-05 257,352,000 
			 2005-06 256,301,000 
			 2006-07 216,497,000 
			 2007-08 214,523,000 
			   
			  Millennium  
			 1995-96 415,414,000 
			 1996-97 418,542,000 
			 1997-98 505,854,000 
			 1998-99 487,632,000 
			 1999-2000 431,085,000 
			 2000-01 412,032,000 
			 2001-02 164,547,000 
			 2002-03 24,396,000 
			 2003-04 7,140,000 
			 2004-05 6,568,000 
			 2005-06 4,162,000 
			 2006-07 1,651,000 
			 2007-08 — 
			   
			  Heritage  
			 1995-96 413,487,000 
			 1996-97 412,764,000 
			 1997-98 464,612,000 
			 1998-99 385,851,000 
			 1999-2000 355,982,000 
			 2000-01 380,591,000 
			 2001-02 377,282,000 
			 2002-03 331,955,000 
			 2003-04 273,268,000 
			 2004-05 287,588,000 
			 2005-06 285,886,000 
			 2006-07 238,112,000 
			 2007-08 217,043,000 
			   
			  Health, education, the environment and charitable expenditure  
			 1995-96 415,122,000 
			 1996-97 412,853,000 
			 1997-98 596,000,000 
			 1998-99 783,272,000 
			 1999-2000 670,433,000 
			 2000-01 640,705,000 
			 2001-02 895,866,000 
			 2002-03 870,631,000 
			 2003-04 755,864,000 
			 2004-05 774,797,000 
			 2005-06 770,942,000 
			 2006-07 648,155,000 
			 2007-08 651,124,000

DEFENCE

Defence Intelligence Staff: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff the Defence Intelligence Staff employed in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) civilian staff and  (b) service; and what the projected numbers for the next five years are.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1528W. I should point out that the answer contained an error for April 2007. The correct figure is provided in the following table.
	The breakdown of DIS staff numbers for the years since April 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008 
			 Military 2,696 2,609 2,577 
			 Civilian 1,724 1,699 1,788 
			 Total 4,420 4,308 4,365 
		
	
	The projected figures for the next five years are:
	
		
			   2009-10  2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14 
			 Military 2,798 2,842 2,873 2,860 2,860 
			 Civilian 1,874 1,880 1,823 1,820 1,820 
			 Total 4,672 4,722 4,696 4,680 4,680

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date.

Kevan Jones: Costs incurred on reimbursable expenses in 2008-09, will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.

Departmental Public Consultation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments for  (a) polling and  (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research Limited since 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: No payments have been made centrally by the MOD to either Deborah Mattinson or Opinion Leader Research Limited since December 2007.
	Central payments represent some 95 per cent. of the departmental total and exclude only those payments made (a) on behalf of other Government Departments or by other Government Departments on the MOD's behalf, (b) by the MOD's trading funds (which lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary), (c) locally by the Department, or (d) in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which  (a) he,  (b) other Ministers in his Department and  (c) his Department's senior officials undertook in 2008.

Kevan Jones: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the financial year 2007-08 was published on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 102WS, and for the first time, included details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. The information is also available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/propriety_and_ethics/assets/travel_2007_2008.pdf
	The information for the financial year 2008-09 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. All travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the "Ministerial Code".
	The expenditure incurred in respect of overseas visits by senior officials is made in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the requirement to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. However, the details for 2008 could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Ex-servicemen: Mental Health Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide psychological screening for those who have served in the armed forces  (a) one year and  (b) five years after discharge; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Health care for veterans is the responsibility of the health departments and NHS and the 2009 NHS Operating Framework includes a section on veterans' services. NHS services such as screening are not decided centrally but commissioned in line with local needs and priorities. MOD, DOH and the third sector are working together to raise awareness of military issues among civilian health professionals and administrators and NHS-led veterans' mental health services providing best practice assessment and treatment in an accessible acceptable way are being piloted at sites across the country. These pilots will run for two years with independent evaluation and analysis. Lessons learned will inform future service planning. For those veterans with mental health problems living outside pilot areas and who have served in operations since 1982, the Medical Assessment Programme at St. Thomas's hospital, London, provides a mental health assessment by an expert in the problems that arise from military service. Treatment recommendations are then made to the GP.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of  (a) blood platelets and  (b) blood plasma transported to Iraq for use by the armed forces were destroyed because they were past their use-by date in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Records held by the MOD reflect the difference between the amount of blood supplied to operations and the amount transfused. From August 2007 to the end of February 2009, the difference between the amount of blood supplied to Iraq and the amount transfused was 396 units of blood platelets and five units of fresh frozen plasma. Each unit contains approximately 300 ml. There are a number of reasons for this difference, for example expiration of the use-by date, damage in transit or accidental exposure to high temperature.
	Prior to August 2007, information was not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland Security Guard Service

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 192W, on the Northern Ireland Security Guard Service, what progress has been made on the review of the Northern Ireland Security Guard Service; and when he expects the review to be completed.

Bob Ainsworth: The Northern Ireland Security Guard Service (NISGS) are MOD employees and are a professional, armed and trained body who provide security at MOD establishments in Northern Ireland. The NISGS review was initiated in order to examine the structure and responsibilities of the NISGS as part of the normalisation process. It was neither designed as a review into NISGS capability nor as a security review. It was divided into two parts: Part 1 examined the establishment (numbers) of the NISGS to support the reducing number of military bases and examine their roles and responsibilities; Part 2 was to determine future requirements including the retention of special constable (SC) status.
	The paper has been staffed through the chain of command and the review is in its final stage. The decision on removal or retention of SC status is pending until consultation with trade unions is complete and resource implications are fully addressed.
	We expected the review to be completed by the end of 2008 but this deadline was internal and self-imposed by HQ NI and 38 (Irish) Brigade. The review was more complex than originally anticipated with a broad range of subject matter experts' views to be sought. Further work was therefore directed to ensure all resource implications and advice had been properly addressed. The report date was therefore slipped to the end of March 2009, with the full knowledge of both the MOD and trade unions. Trade union consultation on the findings of the review will commence shortly, before promulgation of the outcome to NISGS personnel.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Members: Correspondence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Buckingham of 20 October 2008, on grants for home insulation.

Joan Ruddock: I signed a reply to the hon. Member on 9 March and apologise for the delay, which was due to departmental re-organisation.

Warm Front Scheme: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was paid in Warm Front grants to residents in West Lancashire constituency in 2007-08.

Joan Ruddock: Warm Front grants to residents in West Lancashire totalled £1,333,018.45 in 2007-08.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Land

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what area of farmland in England was classified as  (a) grade 1 (excellent),  (b) grade 2 (very good),  (c) grade 3a (good),  (d) grade 3b (moderate),  (e) grade 4 (poor) and  (f) grade 5 (very poor) in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: No estimates for the area of farmland in England by land grade classification have been made. Figures for Wales fall under the jurisdiction of the devolved authority.

Recycling: Glass

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to allow licensed premises to use municipal bottle banks to dispose of glass bottles.

Jane Kennedy: There are no plans to do so, however, where an agreement has been made between the waste generator and the local authority or site operator, then such commercial use of a site is permitted.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Council: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1413W, on terrorism: finance, how much the British Council plans to spend  (a) in each country and  (b) on each type of project in each of the three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Caroline Flint: The British Council, received £6 million funding, over three years, for their Reconnect programme. The main aim of the initiative is to train 10,000 overseas young leaders at most risk of radicalisation or extremism. Decisions on particular funding allocations for countries or projects are based on a number of factors including the priority the Foreign and Commonwealth Office accords a particular country as well as the quality of particular project proposals. This programme will be monitored regularly to ensure it remains on track and will be evaluated on completion. The British Council has ongoing professional evaluation in place for all its programmes.

Departmental Training

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1845W, on departmental training, when the audit of skills in his Department is expected to be completed.

David Miliband: We have identified and defined the core skills needed to deliver the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s departmental strategic objectives, and existing levels of proficiency. We are also defining specialist skills which reflect the work of the FCO across its network. As part of this process we mapped skills required against roles within the organisation. The next step will be to record the skills we have throughout our work force. This will be an ongoing process which will help inform decisions on learning and development, recruitment and workforce planning.
	I am placing in the Library of the House information on our skills work. The documents set out our core skills, which are compatible with Professional Skills for Government, and details and explanations of levels of proficiency. The documents also give details of the mapping exercise which identified skills within the organisation and contributed to the development of the core skills framework.

EU Globalisation Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications have been made by the UK to the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund since 2007; what the purpose was of each such application; and how much has been paid out in respect of each such application.

Caroline Flint: The UK has made no applications to the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund since 2007.

Iran: Arms Trade

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of breaches of the prohibition in UN Security Council Resolution 1747 against the sale, transfer or supply of arms or related material from Iran; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I am aware of reports that Iran has breached UN Security Council Resolution 1747 by attempting to transfer arms-related material via the MV Monchegorsk, a Cypriot-flagged vessel.
	We understand that the MV Monchegorsk was ordered into Limassol harbour by the Government of Cyprus in late January, where it now remains. Cypriot Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou has said that the Monchegorsk was in "clear" breach of UN sanctions banning Iran from exporting arms and related material. Cyprus has dealt with the situation effectively and entirely in line with UN and EU requirements.
	We continue to urge Iran to comply with international law. It is unacceptable that Iran acts in breach of UN Resolutions and such action only serves to further undermine international confidence in Iran.

Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to seek agreement on the extension of the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia beyond 19 March 2009.

David Miliband: The UK supports the mandate given to the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) by the UN, most recently through UN Security Council Resolution 1863. This resolution provides a mandate to AMISOM until 16 July 2009, as well as providing for a package of support to that mission. The AU's own mandate for this mission is a matter for AU member states themselves, but the UK has encouraged these states to extend this mandate beyond 19 March 2009, including by my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown at the AU Summit on 1-2 February 2009. The UK is also supporting the implementation of AMISOM's mandate financially, with a contribution of £10 million during this financial year toward the costs of the mission. We also intend to contribute to the UN trust fund and logistical support package for AMISOM authorised under resolution 1863.

Tibet: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the implementation by the Chinese Government of security measures in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising.

Bill Rammell: We have received several reports of increased security measures in Tibet, including significant increases in numbers of People's Armed Police and People's Liberation Army forces into Tibetan areas, severely restricting Tibetans' right of freedom of expression.
	We have also received claims from several sources that the so-called 'Strike Hard' campaign launched in January 2009 has in fact been used for political purposes, rather than its stated aim of cracking down on criminal activity. We are concerned at such reports, and continue to urge the Chinese authorities to respect the right of peaceful expression and assembly in Tibet.

HEALTH

Cannabis: Research

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has conducted recent research into the addictive properties of cannabis; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: At the request of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, the Government's advisory committee on drugs, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) carried out a substantial review last year of the harms associated with cannabis use, including the physical and psychological effects of cannabis. The report, "Cannabis: Classification and Public Health (2008)", was published in May 2008 and copies have already been placed in the Library.

Christmas

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his Department's policy to offer staff  (a) additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping and  (b) Christmas bonus payments.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not offer its staff either additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping or Christmas bonus payments.
	Staff can request an advance on December salary—up to £500 for full-time staff (pro-rated for part-time staff)—to help them budget over the Christmas period. This advance is paid with November salary and recovered in full from December salary.

Cord Blood

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the report on cord blood banking in the UK—an international comparison of policy and practice;
	(2)  what plans he has for the involvement of  (a) Government bodies,  (b) the third sector and  (c) the private sector in his Department's consideration of the collection and use of cord blood.

Dawn Primarolo: Following the publication of the international comparison report on cord blood banking policy and practice, the Department is assessing the need to enhance national health service cord blood collection services to ensure the United Kingdom remains at the forefront of this work and able to meet its international obligations in matching stem cell donations to patients in need of a transplant.
	The two largest UK bodies providing stem cells for unrelated transplant, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Anthony Nolan Trust, have been asked to report back to us by the end of March 2009. There are no plans to involve other organisations at this time.

Departmental Car Allowances

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues on the mileage allowance payable to  (a) district nurses and  (b) other NHS staff.

Ann Keen: Guidance on mileage allowances for Agenda for Change Staff, which includes district nurses, is set out at Section 17 of the Agenda for Change terms and conditions of service handbook. The mileage allowances are set out at Annex L of this handbook. These allowances were last increased on 1 July 2008 in Pay Circular (A for C) 4/2008 issued on 7 July 2008. A copy of the Pay Circular has been placed in the Library.
	Unless specified in individual terms and conditions, very senior managers follow this Agenda for Change guidance
	Guidance for hospital medical and dental staff and doctors and dentists in public health, the community health service and salaried primary dental care (England) is set out in Pay Circular (M and D) 5/2008 issued on 4 August 2008. A copy of the Pay Circular has been placed in the Library.
	Changes to all these national allowances are published in pay circulars issued by NHS employers and are available, along with the Agenda for Change terms and conditions of service handbook, at:
	www.nhsemployers.org/Pages/home.aspx

Departmental Internet

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1353-56W, on the departmental internet, how many hits each of his Department's websites received in each of the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: Page hits for the main departmental websites are detailed as follows.
	Page hits for the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk
	March 2008 to February 2009—64,678,663
	
		
			   Number of visits  Page impressions 
			 February 2009 1,361,442 5,642,052 
			 January 2009 1,507,257 6,205,364 
			 December 2008 1,041,753 4,403,460 
			 November 2008 1,278,086 5,578,886 
			 October 2008 1,257,254 5,555,268 
			 September 2008 1,126,097 4,717,921 
			 August 2008 859,571 3,647,145 
			 July 2008 1,226,589 5,122,615 
			 June 2008 1,389,120 5,883,074 
			 May 2008 1,316,806 5,842,608 
			 April 2008 1,402,508 6,474,523 
			 March 2008 1,191,293 5,605,747 
		
	
	Page hits for:
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk
	March 2008 to February 2009—1,756,641
	
		
			   Number of visits  Page impressions 
			 February 2009 44,594 133,699 
			 January 2009 47,567 143,423 
			 December 2008 52,483 156,840 
			 November 2008 61,437 181,291 
			 October 2008 65,873 190,170 
			 September 2008 47,812 133,031 
			 August 2008 43,895 126,039 
			 July 2008 55,151 137,455 
			 June 2008 68,211 147,110 
			 May 2008 80,641 145,979 
			 April 2008 79,440 138,647 
			 March 2008 65,210 122,957 
		
	
	Page hits for:
	www.nhs.uk
	March 2008 to February 2009—199,738,205
	
		
			   Number of visits  Page impressions 
			 February 2009 5,730,784 28,675,990 
			 January 2009 5,653,486 28,419,522 
			 December 2008 4,057,157 19,962,397 
			 November 2008 4,243,219 22,078,113 
			 October 2008 3,118,019 14,362,161 
			 September 2008 2,636,926 12,982,408 
			 August 2008 2,566,666 13,004,201 
			 July 2008 2,834,392 14,488,807 
			 June 2008 2,522,515 12,837,873 
			 May 2008 2,239,637 11,122,658 
			 April 2008 2,053,826 11,436,278 
			 March 2008 1,927,864 10,367,797 
			  Notes:  Explanation of terms Visits: the number of times a visitor has entered a website within a given timescale. Thus, multiple visits are recorded. Page impressions: also known as 'hits', this is when a website page is displayed on a visitor's browser. To provide page hits for the other websites listed in the 4 February answer would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Ben Bradshaw: From 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008, the following items of departmental property were reported as lost or stolen with an estimated total replacement cost of £40,000.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Laptop computers 37 
			 Mobile phones 19 
			 Blackberry handheld devices 18 
			 Projectors 3 
			 Audio conferencing phone 1 
			 Other miscellaneous equipment 8 
		
	
	There are strict rules on data security that the Department is required to adhere to. Safeguards include the encryption of all electronic equipment including memory sticks and PDAs and the Department is confident that no personal data have been compromised.

Drugs

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's definition of addiction is.

Dawn Primarolo: In relation to substance misuse, following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, the term 'addiction' has been replaced by 'dependence'.
	The WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 clinical defines 'dependence' as:
	"A cluster of physiological, behavioural, and cognitive phenomena in which the use of a substance or a class of substances takes on a much higher priority for a given individual than other behaviours that once had greater value. A central descriptive characteristic of the dependence syndrome is the desire (often strong, sometimes overpowering) to take psychoactive drugs (which may or may not have been medically prescribed), alcohol, or tobacco. There may be evidence that return to substance use after a period of abstinence leads to a more rapid reappearance of other features of the syndrome than occurs with nondependent individuals."
	'Addiction' can also be understood to refer to some patterns of compulsive behaviour not involving substance misuse, but there is no ICD-10 definition encompassing this meaning.

Eating Disorders

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government plan to increase the number of consultants specialising in the treatment of eating disorders.

Phil Hope: It is for local national health service employers to recruit their own staff to best meet the health care needs of their local population.

Hospitals: Transport

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) NHS hospital trusts contract with bus operators to run dedicated bus services to hospitals within their areas.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The hon. Member may wish to approach his local national health service organisations for further information.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average hospital waiting time for each specialty was for each acute hospital trust in England in each quarter since 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The median referral to treatment waiting times by treatment function for each national health service acute trust in each month for which figures are available since 2007 are shown in the document, "Median by month acute trusts", which shows data for each organisation as they were submitted to the Department in the relevant year, has been placed in the Library.
	Nationally, the median referral to treatment time waited of patients who were admitted for treatment has come down from 18.8 weeks when data were first collected in March 2007 to 7.6 weeks in December 2008. Nationally, the median referral to treatment time waited for non-admitted patients was 4.1 weeks in December 2008, compared to 7.4 weeks in August 2007 when data were first collected.

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the future financial position of independent sector treatment centres.

Ben Bradshaw: No research has been commissioned to date on the future financial position of independent sector treatment centres.

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the  (a) renegotiation and  (b) renewal of independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) contracts issued in the (i) first and (ii) second wave of the ISTC programme; and what involvement he expects (A) primary care trusts, (B) strategic health authorities and (C) other bodies to have in discussions on such contracts.

Ben Bradshaw: Plans for the management of contract expiry including independent sector treatment centre wave 1 contracts are being developed. Consideration of Phase 2 has not begun, as the contracts will expire between 2011 and 2017. Decisions will be taken based on local service need and value for money. All of this will be considered as part of the process.
	Primary care trusts as commissioners and strategic health authorities will have an important role in taking this work forward. No other bodies are currently involved.

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost liabilities expected to arise from the independent sector treatment programme in the next five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The total cost liability associated with the treatment of national health service patients arising from the independent sector treatment programme (ISTC) over the next five years is estimated to be £1,412 million. (This is the expected payment to ISTC Wave 1 and Phase 2 providers based on the contracted value of activity for the next five years from 1 April 2009).

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring into the NHS independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) facilities contracted in the  (a) first and  (b) second wave of the ISTC programme.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no plans to bring national health service independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) facilities into the NHS at this stage. The ISTC providers are part of NHS capacity.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding has been provided for the measurement of health outcomes in the NHS since the National Programme for IT was first proposed; and what percentage of the NHS IT budget for 2008-09 has been allocated for this purpose.

Ben Bradshaw: Measuring health outcomes and using that information to improve services is integral to the delivery of effective health care. For example, cancer registry data are used in the planning and delivery of services, and also on a wider scale for the development of national policy on public health interventions and for the prioritisation of research. The National Programme for IT infrastructure provides a vehicle for collecting, sharing and storing health outcomes data, among many other applications.
	The specific information requested is not available as a separately identifiable reporting line within overall national health service expenditure.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) capital and  (b) revenue expenditure has been incurred on the implementation of picture archiving and communication systems in England since the National Programme for IT was first proposed.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 117-18W.

NHS: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which routine surgical operations information on outcomes is collected in the NHS; and whether his Department proposes to introduce further outcome measurement in other routine surgical operations.

Ben Bradshaw: There is no standard definition of 'routine surgical operations'. The national health service collects information on surgical operations from a range of data sources, for example:
	(i) There are limited clinical audit outcomes data on surgery for cancer (lung, head and neck, bowel, oesophago-gastric, mastectomy and breast re-construction), and heart disease (cardiac and paediatric surgery). Reports on these have been placed in the Library.
	(ii) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) is the national statistical records-based system for England for the care provided by NHS hospitals and for NHS hospital patients treated elsewhere. Each HES record—one for each period of care—contains clinical information about diagnoses and operation. There is no nationally agreed definition of 'main procedure and intervention'. Each episode in HES has 24 procedure and intervention fields. The 'main procedure and intervention' should be the one that is the most resource intensive. Procedure and interventions are recorded using the latest version of the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys: Classification of Interventions and Procedures, 4(th) Revision, OPCS-4.4 for 2008-09, and a copy of this has been placed in the Library.
	The National Centre for Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD) has linked HES data with Office for National Statistics deaths data to develop indicators on deaths within 30-days of a coronary artery bypass graft and within 30-days of surgery for non-elective admissions (excluding diagnostic procedures and spells with cancer).
	(iii) Patient Reported Outcome Measures—From 1 April 2009 all providers of NHS-funded care who are subject to the terms of the Standard NHS contract for acute services will be obliged to invite patients undergoing hip and knee replacements, groin hernia and varicose vein surgeries to complete patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) questionnaires.
	The Department is actively exploring extending the use of PROMs into other clinical areas including long-term conditions. Any future decision to extend the use of PROMs will be based on a sound evidence base.
	The Department is aware of a number of examples where local providers and regional networks are involved in other data collection exercises, including local PROMs collection, although there is no central register of these activities.
	"High Quality Care for All" stressed quality as the organising principle of the NHS and the need for this to be supported by measurement. Therefore, the Department set out the vision for developing quality indicators across patient safety, effectiveness and patient experience including outcomes of care, PROMs and surgical outcomes, and using these to improve the quality of services in the NHS. This is described in "Measuring for Quality Improvement (MQI)—The Approach". A copy of this document has been placed in the Library.

Prostate Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps the NHS Screening Programme will take to inform GPs about the prostate cancer risk management programme;
	(2)  when he expects the revised prostate cancer risk management programme to be published;
	(3)  what plans he has to  (a) monitor and  (b) evaluate the use of the revised prostate cancer risk management programme by GPs.

Ann Keen: A comprehensive strategy has been developed to inform general practitioners (GPs) of the revised prostate cancer risk management programme (PCRMP) when it is relaunched in summer 2009. This includes:
	a medical press launch;
	proactive educational programmes;
	development of a slide set;
	a road show using the slide set, co-ordinated by the British Association of Urological Surgeons;
	a web cast;
	making the PCRMP materials available on GP information technology systems;
	a peer reviewed paper in a peer reviewed journal; and
	a British Medical Journal e-learning module.
	The Cancer Research UK Primary Care Education Research Group will undertake a detailed evaluation of the use and effectiveness of the revised PCRMP packs, as they did with the original packs.

Schizophrenia

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community treatment orders have been issued for patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia since 3 November 2008.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not available.

Schizophrenia

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 184W, on schizophrenia, which severe and enduring conditions are sufficient to make it inappropriate to allow a mental health patient a choice over his treatment.

Phil Hope: Each mental health service user should have an opportunity to be actively involved in agreeing their treatment plans wherever possible. This is not dependent on diagnosis, but may be affected by the severity of the condition at any particular time.

Suffolk Primary Care Trust: Consultants

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Eastern Region Strategic Health Authority on Suffolk Primary Care Trust's understatement of spending on management consultants.

Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with the East of England strategic health authority on Suffolk primary care trust's understatement of spending on management consultants.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Identity Cards: Marketing

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the national identity scheme 2008-09 budget is allocated for publicity and promotional purposes.

Shahid Malik: IPS has budgeted to spend approximately 0.25 per cent. of the 2008-09 budget for the national identity scheme for publicity and advertising.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 28 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2776W, on ministerial duties, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Hornchurch with a substantive response; and what the reason is for the time taken to provide the information requested.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to the hon. Member on 12 March. My Department makes every effort to answer all Members correspondence within a reasonable time scale. However, this is not always possible.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks.

Si�n Simon: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	It is not in the interest of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to the specific technical measures employed to protect our networks (wireless or other). Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.
	The Department follows CESG guidance on the use of the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) communications security protocols in order to protect wireless networks carrying protectively marked (up to RESTRICTED/IL3) traffic. The configuration and operation standards for WPA2 are set out in CESG's Infosec Manual Y, Use of WPA2 Wireless Security in Government Systems. The Department also complies with HMG IA Standard No 4Communication, Security and Cryptography for the encryption of data.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy;
	(2)  what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how many vulnerabilities have been detected as a result of such scans in the last 12 months.

Si�n Simon: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	It is not in the interest of the security of the Department, or that of the public, to disclose detailed information pertaining to electronic breaches of security of Department's IT systems. Disclosing such information would enable criminals and those who would attempt to cause disruptive threats to the Department to deduce how to conduct attacks and therefore potentially enhance their capability to carry out such attacks.

Departmental Data Protection

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what IT security policy his Department has; what procedures are in place to ensure the policy is being followed; what his Department's policy is on encryption of data when it leaves departmental premises; and what sanctions are in place for failure to comply with this policy.

Si�n Simon: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance Strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills is compliant with the security policies contained in the Government Security Policy Framework including those for information security and assurance.
	Depending upon the circumstances, a range of sanctions are available including disciplinary or administrative action, and in extreme or persistent cases, termination of employment/services and, if appropriate, criminal proceedings.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Si�n Simon: According to our records, the following items have been lost or stolen in the last 12 months.
	17 security tokens lost, of which one was subsequently recovered, estimated cost of 1,120
	Two Laptops stolen, of which one was subsequently recovered, estimated cost of 1,400
	Two Blackberry devices stolen, estimated cost of 400
	Three Blackberry devices lost, one of which was subsequently recovered estimated cost of 400

Departmental Official Hospitality

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on  (a) alcohol and  (b) food since its inception.

Si�n Simon: The Department records details of expenditure on food aggregated with wider costs for events such as conferences and meetings or with general entertainment expenses, as well as being included in individual subsistence claims. Where there is a spend on alcohol, this is also aggregated with costs for conferences and meetings. Consequently, the information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure incurred, including that on food and alcohol, is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
	In particular, there is a presumption that public money will not be used to purchase alcohol. However, exceptionally, if not providing alcohol to non-civil servants could lead to greater embarrassment for the Department, moderate amounts (in quantity and quality) may be purchased for formal gatherings such as meals or presentations. As with any expenditure on personal entertainment, the reasons are required to be justified.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's entertainment budget has been since its inception.

Si�n Simon: The Department does not have a specific budget for entertainment. In respect of expenditure, the Department records details of expenditure on entertainment aggregated with costs for events such as conferences and meetings as well as being included in some individual subsistence claims. Consequently, the information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Postal Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to  (a) the Royal Mail and  (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department's postal services are provided through the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Research Councils, which manage the buildings that DIUS occupies. None of these organisations separates mail sent by DIUS from its own mail, so information on the number of items of mail sent by DIUS is not held.
	Royal Mail has been the sole postal service provider for all office locations in the last 12 months.

Postgraduate Education

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people who obtained postgraduate qualifications in each of the last 10 years were in each socio-economic grouping at the time they started their postgraduate course.

David Lammy: Information on the socio-economic group of postgraduate students is not held centrally. Socio-economic group information is held for full-time undergraduate students, as it is collected as part of the UCAS application process. Postgraduates apply directly to institutions, rather than through UCAS, so this information is not collected.

Skilled Workers: Rural Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the skills base in seaside towns in England compared to the national average.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Communities and Local Government published 'England's Seaside Townsa Benchmarking Study' in November 2008. The report presents a range of statistical evidence on socio-economic conditions including skills and qualifications in seaside towns and compares figures with regional and English averages.
	The Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills is represented on the cross-Government working group which commissioned this report. A copy of the report has been placed in the House Libraries.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Colombia: Overseas Aid

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on aid to Colombia in each year since 1999.

Michael Foster: Details on Official Development Assistance (ODA) can be found on the OECD Development Assistance Committee's (DAC) website at:
	www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline.
	The relevant figures are reproduced below.
	
		
			  Total ODA (in millions) to Columbia (All donors), USD$ constant prices (2007) 
			   Total ODA to Columbia 
			 1999 301.97 
			 2000 186.51 
			 2001 380.12 
			 2002 439.72 
			 2003 801.07 
			 2004 518.38 
			 2005 624.59 
			 2006 987.44 
			 2007 730.83

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which  (a) he,  (b) other Ministers in his Department and  (c) his Department's senior officials undertook in 2008.

Gareth Thomas: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over 500. Information for the financial year 2007-08 was published on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 102WS and for the first time, included details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.

Private Sector

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the terms of reference are of his Department's review of its policy on working with the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) Private Sector Development Strategy was launched in January 2009 and is available on the DFID website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/Private-Sector-development-strategy.pdf
	No review is currently under way.

Terrorism: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1413W, on terrorism: finance, how much of the 300 million to be contributed by his Department to tackling terrorism and promoting understanding overseas for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 is funding additional to previously allocated expenditure;
	(2)  how much of the 300 million his Department plans to spend on tackling terrorism and promoting understanding overseas will be spent  (a) in each country and  (b) on each type of project in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11;
	(3)  how he plans to assess the effectiveness of his Department's expenditure to tackle terrorism and promote understanding overseas.

Gareth Thomas: Pursuant to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's answer of 3 March 2009 highlighting expenditure to tackle radicalisation and promote understanding overseas, 300 million represents the portion of the Department for International Development's (DFID) budget that will be spent on poverty reduction programmes that help to address the development-related causes of radicalisation.
	The 300 million (over the period 2008-11) will be spent in Pakistan (131 million), Bangladesh (67 million), Somalia (7 million), Kenya (17 million), Sudan (19 million), Yemen (37 million), Afghanistan (19 million), and Iraq (1 million). These figures are subject to revision based on modifications to DFID's country assistance programmes.
	The programmes in these countries will help to build Government institutions that are more efficient and accountable to their people, promote good governance and the rule of law, education reform and skills provision, access to equitable and affordable justice and police reform. These programmes will contribute to counter-radicalisation objectives by addressing the underlying social, political and economic grievances that can bring some communities to support violent extremism.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) programme in Zimbabwe is focused on providing immediate humanitarian support and broader livelihoods assistance to meet the essential needs of the people of Zimbabwe. This year we have provided: 9 million to the World Food programme for food aid; 10 million to support the growing season; and 10 million to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We also recently made 10 million available to tackle the cholera outbreak and support life-saving essential health systems. We anticipate a total spend of 49 million this financial year across these vital areas of support. Our aid is channelled through the UN and NGOs and not the Government of Zimbabwe.
	We anticipate the need for sustained large-scale humanitarian support from the international community for the foreseeable future and we are monitoring the situation very closely. However, a sustainable and credible political solution is required to fully address Zimbabwe's problems. In principle, we are ready to support economic and social recovery in Zimbabwe but this will depend on the new Government's commitment to reform, including a clear commitment to macroeconomic stabilisation and sound economic management; restoration of the rule of law; commitment to democracy; respect for human rights, and the guarantee of full humanitarian access.

JUSTICE

Departmental Bank Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: For the financial year 2008-09, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have held contracts with banks for the provision of banking operational services only, and not for the provision of financial advice.
	All MOJ Banking transactions are completed in line with the MOJ Banking and Cash Handling policies that have been drawn up in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines.
	Under section 18 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866, the Treasury determines the banks at which public monies can be kept. Public monies are held centrally by the Exchequer to the maximum possible extent consistent with value for money principles.

Legal Opinion

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessors spent on external legal advice in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The accounting systems in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) do not separately distinguish expenditure on external legal expenses from other types of legal expenditure. This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, OCJR has been able to determine that expenditure on external legal advice in 2007-08 was 64,304.71.
	For activities relating to the former Department of Constitutional Affairs (comprising the core department and its agencies, HM Courts Service, Tribunal Service and Office of the Public Guardian) accounting records indicate that expenditure over the last five years on external legal services was as follows:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 1,827,261 
			 2005-06 968,636 
			 2006-07 1,914,155 
			 2007-08 2.297,148 
			 2008-09 (to 31 December 2008) 1,537,176 
		
	
	Expenditure on external legal services includes all use of counsel and solicitors in private practice and excludes advice from in house legal advisers or Treasury Solicitors.

Legal Opinion

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect of (i) Criminal Defence Service Direct and (ii) the Defence Solicitor Call Centre on the numbers and proportion of suspects who received legal advice from a legal adviser in person; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that research.

Shahid Malik: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) and the Ministry of Justice have not commissioned specific research on the effect of CDS Direct or the DSCC on the number and proportion of suspects who receive legal advice in person, but the LSC continues to record the number of cases funded each year. In 2007-08, there were 602,000 (574,000) cases in which publicly funded legal advice was provided in person at a police station and 94,000 (48,000) cases in which telephone advice was provided by an individual solicitor or firm. In addition, in 2007-08 CDS Direct dealt with 78,000 (123,000) telephone advice cases. Final figures will not be available until after the financial year ends, but the figures in brackets represent cases for the 2008-09 period up to February 2009.
	The Defence Solicitor Call Centre handles all requests for legal advice from police stations and refers them, as appropriate, to either the duty solicitor, the detainee's own solicitor if they have one, or to Criminal Defence Service (CDS) Direct.
	CDS Direct is a separate service which provides telephone advice to individuals detained at police stations in England and Wales in relation to one of a small group of specified offences such as drink driving. These are relatively less serious, non-imprisonable offences that do not normally require the police to interview the suspect and therefore telephone advice is considered to be appropriate and cost-effective. In February and April 2008 the service was expanded in two phases to handle all cases appropriate for telephone advice, including those where the detainee has named a particular solicitor or firm. Even prior to the expansion of CDS Direct, if a named solicitor provided advice directly to a client on a case involving this group of offences, that solicitor would receive a fee from public funds for telephone advice only. The expansion of CDS Direct in early 2008 has not increased the scope of publicly funded telephone advice or reduced entitlement to face to face advice.

Michael Shields

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to take a decision in relation to whether to grant a pardon for Michael Shields; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: On 17 December the High Court decided that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor could consider an application from Mr. Shields for a free pardon and he immediately appointed senior counsel to advise him. On counsel's advice he asked the Merseyside police to look at certain matters arising on Mr. Shields' application.
	My right hon. Friend is determined to make the best and fairest decision that he can, but he can do so only after properly assessing all of the material that is available and his consideration needs to be thorough. Regrettably he does not anticipate that it will be possible to make a decision before the end of May at the earliest.

National Offender Management Service: Temporary Employment

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by the National Offender Management Service on  (a) agency and  (b) temporary staff in each financial year since its inception.

Jack Straw: NOMS expenditure on agency and temporary staff is shown in the following table. Owing to the way data is recorded on accounting systems it is not possible to show a split between agency staff and temporary staff. Within NOMS centre and HMPS staff on short-term employment contracts are not included as their costs are included in overall salary account codes. For ProbationNPSboth agency staff and temporary staff are within the figures shown in the table. It would not be possible to split these figures without asking for work to be carried out at each business unit within the NOMS agency, which would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 NOMS 2,159,550 3,542,483 5,428,550 5,932,227 
			 NPS 12,025,000 19,764,000 14,565,000 15,476,000 
			 HMPS 45,883,000 30,999,000 25,028,000 21,461.000 
			 Total 60,067,550 54,305,483 45,021,550 42,869,227

Offensive Weapons: Mentally Disturbed Offenders

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people convicted of knife crimes have been admitted to a mental health institution in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally.

Police Custody

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were held in police cells in each police force area in each month in the last three years; and at what cost.

Jack Straw: Operation Safeguard was activated in mid-October 2006 and ended just before Christmas 2006. It was then re-activated between 16 January 2007 and 31 October 2008. Police cells have not been used since 22 September 2008 and no police cells have been on stand by since the end of October 2008.
	The following tables detail usage by police force area between October 2006 and 31 October 2008 and gives the aggregated total of the number of prisoner nights in which a police cell was used. It is not possible to ascertain how many individual prisoners these totals cover.
	Invoices to the value of 14,373,500 were paid for the activation of Operation Safeguard in the 2006-07 financial year, 50,687,200 for the 2007-08 financial year and 10,790,000 for the 2008-09 financial year (up to 31 December 2008).
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			   Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec 
			 Avon and Somerset24 1 32 6 20 6 1 6 6 11 9 0 
			 Bedfordshire6 0 52 51 73 60 0 3 56 55 43 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 32 118 62 23 17 132 94 174 173 0 82 195 183 155 34 
			 Cheshire  32 71 85 105 288 117 506 562 37 321 754 935 706 21 
			 Cleveland4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria0 3 36 25 77 78 0 0 7 77 48 0 
			 Derbyshire 15 52 46 51 14 137 45 19 24 2 42 38 43 30 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall  12 26 84 10 194 131 376 314 36 167 241 209 197 36 
			 Dorset 3 38 30 26 7 66 52 85 92 0 10 1 0 40 1 
			 Durham  11 31 24 9 73 58 216 189 6 120 188 204 134 5 
			 Dyfed Powys   1 34 4 99 118 186 120 0 5 2 114 0 0 
			 Essex 199 423 387 107 196 452 406 538 563 62 332 541 538 448 204 
			 Gloucestershire7 0 4 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 GMP   15 96 109 381 163 504 507 69 163 184 417 446 47 
			 Gwent17 0 18 2 14 38 38 160 225 240 191 19 
			 Hampshire   65 70 31 220 77 50 226 37 183 203 221 210 27 
			 Hertfordshire   40 26 27 89 90 184 140 11 125 201 175 115 33 
			 Humberside30 1 18 11 8 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 85 58 192 56 177 385 362 467 428 116 359 383 410 382 129 
			 Lancashire54 36 175 143 296 244 23 88 189 312 220 22 
			 Leicestershire0 6 1 151 379 542 64 334 491 460 366 176 
			 Lincolnshire 27 109 32 71 32 233 81 204 263 0 26 246 251 135 27 
			 Merseyside  111 85 3 0 51 3 40 24 0 4 32 7 6 0 
			 MET  67 266 199 293 1061 902 1294 1622 73 947 1221 1320 1108 700 
			 Norfolk1 0 0 2 0 1 0 7 3 5 1 0 
			 North Wales 8 6  30 11 144 121 467 379 0 0 0 385 243 5 
			 North Yorkshire3 0 3 3 10 7 0 2 2 2 6 1 
			 Northamptonshire 32 118 69 68 21 241 122 249 254 0 3 53 108 78 35 
			 Northumbria36 46 193 63 254 216 0 3 55 228 148 0 
			 Nottinghamshire50 3 22 23 60 5 0 6 12 6 1 0 
			 South Wales 14 52 15 47 9 110 67 281 237 19 123 128 112 244 24 
			 South Yorkshire8 0 27 27 202 221 0 54 122 190 135 29 
			 Staffordshire0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 
			 Suffolk 27 56  29 3 134 112 182 203 0 8 132 190 141 37 
			 Surrey33 0 10 14 20 11 0 3 16 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 62 152 124 16 0 14 24 47 55 0 23 28 46 9 0 
			 TVP 81 172 180 129 36 363 246 479 328 39 214 282 319 233 59 
			 Warwickshire 12 46 35 30 1 125 49 138 158 2 70 200 175 189 54 
			 West Mercia14 0 6 4 8 5 25 1 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 30 235 305 155 62 755 330 1104 950 110 617 885 1044 827 120 
			 West Yorkshire   45 188 16 337 165 396 578 40 328 518 567 448 91 
			 Wiltshire8 0 2 37 22 6 0 10 0 6 0 0 
			 Total 627 1868 2122 1942 1286 6683 4498 9631 9845 810 4950 7840 9565 7693 1960 
		
	
	
		
			   2008 
			   Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 10 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 157 
			 Bedfordshire 3 66 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 496 
			 Cambridgeshire 39 193 40 19 0 21 61 41 0 1888 
			 Cheshire 147 846 80 0 15 65 169 236 0 6098 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Cumbria 15 74 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 440 
			 Derbyshire 33 256 34 0 0 0 15 3 0 908 
			 Devon and Cornwall 44 210 41 0 0 15 46 65 11 2465 
			 Dorset 6 64 4 0 0 1 17 14 3 560 
			 Durham 15 242 13 0 14 0 51 42 0 1645 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 683 
			 Essex 92 200 146 10 4 23 92 68 10 6041 
			 Gloucestershire 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 
			 GMP 13 555 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 3712 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 962 
			 Hampshire 55 220 56 0 0 6 42 94 2 2095 
			 Hertfordshire 53 206 57 0 0 0 40 39 0 1651 
			 Humberside 4 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 111 
			 Kent 179 431 260 74 4 0 0 0 0 4937 
			 Lancashire 0 153 21 0 0 0 36 53 0 2065 
			 Leicestershire 21 379 64 0 6 22 136 79 16 3693 
			 Lincolnshire 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1739 
			 Merseyside 7 34 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 409 
			 MET 628 1340 777 162 77 299 776 290 74 15496 
			 Norfolk 1 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 
			 North Wales 0 339 32 0 0 5 0 77 0 2252 
			 North Yorkshire 6 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 59 
			 Northamptonshire 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1494 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1242 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 25 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 222 
			 South Wales 38 337 50 0 0 53 102 135 0 2197 
			 South Yorkshire 6 147 26 0 0 0 3 12 0 1209 
			 Staffordshire 0 50 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 
			 Suffolk 42 176 43 1 0 12 34 51 10 1623 
			 Surrey 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 116 
			 Sussex 10 73 0 0 0 0 83 46 11 823 
			 TVP 87 368 81 24 0 22 64 42 0 3848 
			 Warwickshire 100 324 50 0 0 61 85 199 74 2177 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 64 
			 West Midlands 32 596 0 0 0 16 182 113 0 8468 
			 West Yorkshire 26 613 61 0 0 7 147 94 0 4665 
			 Wiltshire 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 97 
			 Total 1766 8605 2004 290 120 630 2182 1793 211 88921

Prisons

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of offences related to bringing prohibited  (a) List A,  (b) List B and  (c) List C articles into (i) prisons and (ii) young offender institutions in each of the last 12 months.

David Hanson: Offences relating to bringing prohibited articles into prisons and young offender institutions form part of the 2007 Offender Management Act which came into force in April 2008.
	The data for 2008 will be available in November 2009, answers therefore should be based on published National Statistics in order to ensure quality checks have been carried out, also statistics on court proceedings and cautions should be published annually. It takes several months for court proceedings data to be received by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, validated and corrected.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2007-08

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House if she will place in the Library a copy of the parliamentary handling strategy for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill of Session 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including Cabinet Committee papers, is generally not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Members: Allowances

David Drew: To ask the Leader of the House if she will take steps to ensure that the principles on expenses espoused in the Green Book are applied throughout the public service.

Chris Bryant: The principles set out in the Green Book are derived from the principles in the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament. These are in turn based on the principles of conduct identified by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its First Report (Cm 2850) as applying to holders of public office.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what plans he has to hold Cabinet meetings outside London in the future;
	(2)  what proportion of the cost of the Cabinet meeting in Liverpool on 8 January 2009 was attributable to  (a) transport,  (b) policing,  (c) catering and  (d) additional costs.

Gordon Brown: The visit of the Cabinet to Liverpool on 8 January 2009 was linked with a large number of ministerial visits across the region; there was a public engagement event with around 170 people and a formal Cabinet meeting. The cost of the public engagement event and the cabinet meeting was approximately 76,620, excluding VAT. The figure includes the cost of hiring the venue, catering, associated security and delegate management. There are no separate figures for the Cabinet meeting. In addition, Departments and agencies will have incurred costs in terms of travel, staff time and other support. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force.
	Further such visits are planned for the future; announcements of these will be made at the appropriate time.

Departmental Buildings

John Baron: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving No. 10 Downing Street since July 2007;
	(2)  much has been spent on  (a) maintaining,  (b) decorating and  (c) otherwise improving his Office's buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on such decoration.

Nick Hurd: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on the refurbishment and maintenance of  (a) Downing Street offices and  (b) the 10 and 11 Downing Street flats in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers at Nos. 10 and 12 Downing Street in each month since July 2007.

Gordon Brown: The Downing street estate is undergoing essential maintenance work required to maintain it to the standards appropriate to its Grade 1/2 listed status required by English Heritage.
	The total resource expenditure for maintaining the entire Downing street estate for the financial year 2007-08 was 1.288 million. This includes the exceptional resource cost of 810,664, which has already been published, for essential work to the exterior of the Downing street estate again in consultation with English Heritage. Resource spend includes maintenance of fixed assets, the fabric of the building, floors, walls and ceilings and the upkeep and repair of heritage assets.
	Information on capital expenditure on improving Cabinet Office buildings, including the Downing street estate for 2007-08 is included in the annual Cabinet Office Resource Accounts. Copies are available in the Library of the House. Capital works included railings alterations, ICT cabling installation and alteration, Front Hall renovation, Cabinet Room redecoration, infrastructure work such as new risers for ICT cabling, repair of collapsed drain, installation of new Building Management System and energy monitoring equipment, access improvements works, such as corridor ramping and dropped kerbs in Downing street and security works.
	As part of the resource spend, the cost of routine maintenance on the flat above No. 11 Downing street for the most recent financial years is set out as follows:
	
		
			
			 2005-06 35,293 
			 2006-07 14,832 
			 2007-08 28,150 
		
	
	Expenditure on other official residences is a matter for the relevant Department. Information for previous years is a matter of public record and can be found in the official report.

Departmental Postal Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Office were given to  (a) the Royal Mail and  (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: The information requested is not held centrally. Letters are sent by my Office in the most cost effective manner. This includes the use of the Government Internal Delivery System and the Royal Mail as appropriate.

Diplomatic Service

Keith Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1198W, on the diplomatic service, on how many occasions he has appointed a special representative or special envoy to a particular region since 1997.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1198W, on the Diplomatic Service, 
	(1)  how many  (a) special representatives and  (b) special envoys he and his predecessor have appointed to a country or region since 1997; and how many of those appointees are still in post;
	(2)  from which budget the funding for special representatives and special envoys appointed by him to particular countries and regions is drawn.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 23 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 553-4W. Information for previous years is a matter of public record and can be found in the  Official Report.

Group of Twenty

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  with which overseas Heads of State he plans to have bilateral meetings during the G20 Summit in London in April 2009;
	(2)  whether he has invited any foreign heads of state to No. 10 Downing Street in April 2009;
	(3)  which foreign heads of state and government have signified their intention  (a) to attend and  (b) not to attend the G20 summit in April 2009.

Gordon Brown: Details of those who have been invited to the G20 summit in April are available on the London summit website:
	http://www.londonsummit.gov.uk/en/media-centre/latest-news/?view=Newsid=13821294
	A copy of this webpage has been placed in the Library of the House.

TRANSPORT

Civil Service Agencies

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role is played by his Department in the setting of budgets for each of its Executive agencies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Of the Department's seven Executive agencies, four are designated as Trading Funds and are therefore funded primarily through fees. For the remaining agencies, Department officials provide a sponsorship role in reviewing and challenging agency plans in light of the funding available to the Department and to adjust the plans where necessary.
	Each of the Department's Executive agencies then completes a Business Plan that is published before the commencement of each financial year setting out the direction for the agency's activities and the resources required to deliver them. Department officials also review these Business Plans to ensure that they include the Department's policy requirements and to align the plans with delivery of the Department's own objectives. The plans are then subject to agreement with Ministers.

Diesel Trains

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department had with the rolling stock companies on procurement in advance of his decision to create Diesel Trains Limited.

Paul Clark: We are in regular dialogue with the rolling stock companies. Officials discussed the proposal to create Diesel Trains Limited with each of the rolling stock companies prior to the company's incorporation on 25 February.

Diesel Trains

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many years Diesel Trains Limited is expected to be publicly-owned.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport will be inviting the market to bid either for the company or for the assets and related contracts within it, and to take on the ownership and leasing of the trains. We wish to commence this process as soon as reasonably practicable.

Diesel Trains

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the merits of Diesel Trains Limited being used to procure rolling stock in addition to the 120 diesel multiple units currently planned.

Paul Clark: Diesel Trains Limited has been incorporated to purchase 202 diesel multiple unit vehicles. It is not anticipated at this time that the company will purchase other rolling stock.

Driving Tests: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people  (a) took and  (b) passed their driving test in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no driving test centres within Hemel Hempstead. Data for car and motorcycle practical tests in Hertfordshire are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Hertfordshire 
			   Conducted  Passed  Percentage Pass 
			  Car
			 2007-08 42,123 18,825 44.7 
			 2006-07 38,994 17,546 45.0 
			 2005-06 35,845 15,828 44.2 
			 2004-05 29,757 13,209 44.4 
			 2003-04 22,361 10,429 46.6 
			 
			  Motorcycle
			 2007-08 1,163 750 64.5 
			 2006-07 1,215 794 65.3 
			 2005-06 1,461 896 61.3 
			 2004-05 1,420 865 60.9 
			 2003-04 1,318 873 66.2 
		
	
	Practical tests for lorry and bus driving categories are not conducted at test centres within Hertfordshire.

Driving: Disqualification

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been disqualified from driving  (a) in total and  (b) in each local authority area in each year since 1997; and what the reasons for disqualification were.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records details of driving convictions on its driving licence records, it does not have available a statistical breakdown of the numbers of licence holders who have been disqualified from driving.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what risk registers  (a) are in use and  (b) have been in use in the last two years within his Department's Aviation Directorate in relation to projects regarding Heathrow Airport; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 25 February 2009
	The Department's Aviation Directorate makes regular use of risk registers to monitor strategic projects, as well as non-strategic projects and business as usual activities relating to regulatory issues, airport capacity and operations, aviation and the environment, and aviation safety. In line with this, risks relating to Heathrow airport were reported to the Heathrow Project Board until October 2007 and to the Aviation Programme Board thereafter.

Heathrow Airport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons he plans to withdraw from public scrutiny responses to the Adding Capacity at Heathrow consultation on 10 April 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has no plans to withdraw from public scrutiny the responses to the Adding Capacity at Heathrow consultation. The complete set of nearly 70,000 responses has been made available for inspection in the Department until 10 April and we consider this to be a reasonable period to provide this facility. After 10 April, the Department will allow interested parties to view named responses on request.

Heathrow Airport: Public Consultation

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department collated any summaries of the responses to the consultation document, Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport in addition to the work carried out by Ipsos MORI/Detica.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In addition to the response analysis undertaken by Detica, the Department for Transport carried out some supplementary analysis of the responses from stakeholders listed in Appendix D2 to the Detica report. This was subject to scrutiny by the independent peer reviewer whose report is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/heathrowconsultations/heathrowdecision/

Lorries: Licensing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with its Executive agencies on setting testing fees for goods vehicles, their drivers and operators.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is responsible for setting and administering testing fees for goods vehicles and their operators while the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is responsible for setting the fees for the testing of goods vehicle drivers.
	Since VOSA and DSA are established as a Trading Funds they are required to set fees to meet their outgoings. On 27 October 2008, DSA issued a public consultation on changes to the level of fees applicable to the practical driving test for goods vehicles while on 6 November 2008, VOSA issued a public consultation on changes to the level and structure of its fees for the testing of goods vehicles and operators, both to come into effect in April of this year.
	This followed extensive discussion with Department officials that included analysis to ensure that:
	proposed fees have been calculated in line with Government guidance on the setting of statutory fees;
	that there are sound and appropriate assumptions upon which the agency's financial forecasts are based;
	that the plans provide sufficient revenues to support the policies and objectives of the Department.
	Following closure of the public consultations in January 2009, the agencies have prepared analyses of the responses from the consultation that form the basis of recommendations to the Minister on what fee changes should be made in April.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings he has had with the chief executives of  (a) the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency,  (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and  (c) the Driving Standards Agency since his appointment.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State met the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency in November to discuss the 'Learning to Drive' consultation. I have regular update meetings with these agencies.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department employs to ensure the value for money of expenditure by  (a) the Driving Standards Agency,  (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and  (c) the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driving Standards Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency along with two other executive agencies and three central policy directorates form the Safety, Service Delivery and Logistics Group (SSDL) of the Department for Transport.
	During 2006 and as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review these executive agencies undertook a zero-based review of their key services in order to identify opportunities for improved efficiency or effectiveness in the delivery of those services.
	The results of the zero-based review was a value for money delivery plan that targets 112 million of efficiencies and cost savings over the 2008-11 years resulting from a combination of:
	the consumer take-up of new and existing electronic services;
	the use of information to more effectively target enforcement activities;
	the introduction of new working practices and processes; and
	the rationalisation of the Group's estate.
	In addition, the SSDL Group seeks to ensure that value for money principles are embedded in all of its activities by including the requirement for agencies to undertake external benchmarking of processes that are being renewed or changed.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 2123-5W, on A303: inspections, if he will provide equivalent information for each other Vehicle and Operator Services Agency checkpoint in England and Wales.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency has over 1,000 checkpoint sites, to find out the requested enforcement information would result in disproportionate cost being incurred.

Roads: Safety Measures

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 9-10W, on cycling: helmets, if he will take steps to ensure the earlier publication of his Department's final reports on road safety and cycling issues.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is working with the contractors, TRL, to ensure the road safety and cycle project maintains on schedule with the publication of the project's final reports in autumn 2010.

TREASURY

Bradford and Bingley

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable he has set for the appointment of an independent valuer in respect of the compensation scheme for shareholders of Bradford and Bingley.

Ian Pearson: On 10 March 2009, the Government announced that they were inviting applications for the position of independent valuer to assess any compensation that may be payable to former holders of the shares in Bradford and Bingley plc that were transferred to the Treasury in September last year (and other specified persons affected by the transfer).
	The closing date for applications is 7 April 2009. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present to a selection panel in May 2009. Thereafter, the panel will submit their recommendation to Treasury Ministers. Further details can be found on the Treasury website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/valuer

Consolidated Fund: Fines

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 133W, on Consolidated Fund: fines, which public bodies are required to surrender their revenue from fines to the Consolidated Fund.

Yvette Cooper: For all central Government Departments most cash receipts, either by specific legislation or by the Civil List Act 1952, are required to be paid into the Consolidated Fund. Local authorities are not required to surrender income from fines to the Consolidated Fund.
	The requirement to surrender income ceases to apply where the Treasury lays an omnibus minute, alongside each Supply Estimates publication, under section 2 of the Government Resource and Accounts Act 2000. This enables Departments to use specified income to offset the costs of their expenditure. The Supply Estimates provide details of the income appropriated in aid.
	The Resource Accounts of each Department contain information on both amounts appropriated in aid and those surrendered as Consolidated Fund Extra Receipts. The level of detail disclosed on fines will vary between the accounts and will be influenced by factors such as the materiality of fines to the figures in the accounts.
	Details of fines are not separately identifiable within the Consolidated Fund's receipts.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford's letter of 13 October 2008, Treasury reference: 1/6189/2008, concerning Mr Richard Macaskill of Chelmsford; and what the reason is for the time taken to reply.

Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what the planned source will be of the professional lending skills to be used by the Treasury in lending to private finance initiative projects.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury will use the skills of a combination of Treasury employees and secondees.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what estimate he has made of the average return on capital committed to private finance initiative projects which have been completed and refinanced to date.

Ian Pearson: The private finance initiative (PFI) should only be used where it demonstrates value for money in absolute terms and when compared with other forms of procurement. Competition among PFI providers is designed to ensure that the best value for money options are selected, helping to ensure that investors' returns on capital invested in PFI projects are appropriate.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what his latest estimate is of the number of private finance initiative projects for which the Government will provide the full amount of senior debt.

Ian Pearson: The Government will determine which projects will receive what quantity of senior debt on a project-by-project basis.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what steps his Department is taking on management of credit risk in circumstances where the Government are providing the full amount of senior debt required by a private finance initiative infrastructure project.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury's lending facility will operate at arm's length from the authorities procuring private finance initiative (PFI) projects. It will operate on a commercial basis with robust risk management procedures and will lend on commercial terms.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure value for money from Government lending to private finance initiative infrastructure projects;
	(2)  whether his Department's value for money assessment guidance will apply in determining the projects for which the Government will provide the full amount of senior debt for a private finance initiative infrastructure project;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of any comparative cost-benefit analysis of switching to alternative procurement methods in private finance initiative infrastructure projects undertaken by or on behalf of his Department.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury's Green Book (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/data_greenbook_guidance. htm) states that all new policies, programmes and projects should be subject to comprehensive assessment, including an appraisal of value for money.
	Private finance initiative projects are required to further test value for money using tailored qualitative and quantitative appraisals which must form part of the project's business case (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_vfm_index.htm).
	Competition among PFI providers is designed to ensure that the best value for money options are selected.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, when he expects his Department's lending to private finance initiative projects to have been repaid.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury will lend to projects only where appropriate funding is not available from the market. It will be a temporary intervention. As with normal commercial lending these loans will bear interest and will be repaid over the life of the project.
	The Treasury envisages selling the loans it makes prior to their maturity as favourable market conditions return.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, 
	(1)  what pricing structure the Government will use when providing the full amount of senior debt required by a private finance initiative infrastructure project;
	(2)  what criteria the Government will use to determine appropriate means of funding provision for a private finance initiative infrastructure project.

Ian Pearson: It is intended that the Government will lend to PFI projects on commercial terms, alongside other commercial lenders and/or the European Investment Bank.
	The Government will only lend to those PFI projects that cannot raise sufficient debt finance on acceptable terms.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, how the private finance initiative infrastructure projects receiving additional Government funding will be selected.

Ian Pearson: All PFI projects in procurement (that have, to date, issued a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)) will be eligible for this finance from the Government. Future projects intending to go to market soon will also be eligible, provided they meet the usual value for money and affordability criteria, and subject to Treasury approval before issuing their OJEU notice.

Private Finance Initiative

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 47-8WS, on Government infrastructure investment, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that returns to private investors on private finance initiative projects supported by his Department's lending reflect the transfer of risk back to the public purse implicit in such support.

Ian Pearson: Retaining the PFI structure will mean that the private sector will continue to bear the risk of cost over runs and delays. As such equity investors will continue to bear the primary risk in these projects. Where available, private sector debt will continue to be provided and will therefore also take risk.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1423W, on the Royal Bank of Scotland, what tax losses and allowances will not be claimed by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS); what amount of tax losses and allowances will be forgone by RBS; which RBS tax losses and allowances will be set against previous profits; and what the total figure that could be claimed by RBS in tax losses and allowances is.

Ian Pearson: RBS has agreed not to claim certain UK tax losses and allowances for a number of years, meaning that when they do return to profitability, they will not be able to benefit from the losses accrued in the intervening period. Final arrangements are subject to ongoing discussions with, and quantification by, HMRC.
	Further information about RBS's undertakings will be available when all of the detailed terms of RBS's entry into the asset protection scheme have been finalised.

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what expenditure his Department incurred in paying interest on tax refunds in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received tax refunds from HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Information on the number of people receiving income tax repayments is not available. The following table provides the numbers of income tax repayments made to individuals. In some cases, one person will have received more than one repayment.
	
		
			   Total number of repayments (million) 
			 2003-04 6.55 
			 2004-05 6.59 
			 2005-06 6.28 
			 2006-07 5.93 
			 2007-08 5.58

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was charged in interest on unpaid tax by HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Amounts of interest charged on unpaid direct taxes are not available on a financial year basis, HM Revenue and Customs collect figures to an annual October date.
	The table provides the amount of interest charged for 2003-04 to 2006-07, figures for 2007-08 have not yet been finalised. These figures do not necessarily equate to interest received by HMRC and do not include interest charged on corporation tax liabilities raised prior to the start of CT self assessment (CTSA).
	
		
			  Table 1: Interest charged on direct taxes  (excluding pre-CTSA charges) 
			  Period   million 
			 To October 2004 547.3 
			 To October 2005 635.4 
			 To October 2006 730.2 
			 To October 2007 957.8 
		
	
	The following table provides figures for the interest charged on unpaid VAT; these run from 1 April to 31 March each year. Data are not readily available for indirect taxes other than VAT, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 2: Interest charged on VAT 
			million 
			 2004-05 57.7 
			 2005-06 80.2 
			 2006-07 82.5 
			 2007-08 99.6

Taxation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on his Department's revenue of reducing the amount of interest paid on tax refunds to zero in 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: No such estimate has been made.

Taxation: Business

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to reduce the burden of tax on small and medium-sized enterprises which work with young people most at risk of committing anti-social behaviour.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor announced a number of measures at the 2008 pre-Budget report to reduce the burden of taxation on small and medium-sized enterprises, including a deferral of the planned increase in the small companies' rate of corporation tax, the business payment support service and more generous use of the loss carry-back rules. Currently, there are no plans to provide specific tax reliefs for businesses that work with young people most at risk of committing anti-social behaviour.

WALES

Departmental Bank Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on  (a) alcohol and  (b) food in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office hosts a limited number of receptions over a year to mark, for example St. David's Day. Parliamentarians, journalists and those with an interest in Welsh affairs are invited. In some years these have been supplemented by joint Wales Office/National Assembly for Wales receptions. The cost over the last five years were:
	
		
			   
			   On food  On alcohol 
			 2004-05 6,238 0 
			 2005-06 6,849 (1)0 
			 2006-07 12,302 1,182 
			 2007-08 7,664 1,752 
			 2008-09 3,617 990 
			 (1)( )In London. 
		
	
	In 2005-06 the cost of a Cardiff reception included alcohol, but this was not listed separately, therefore has been included in the figure for food.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's entertainment budget was in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: My Department does not have an entertainment budget, however in the last five years we have spent the following amount on receptions.
	
		
			
			 2004-05 6,238 
			 2005-06 8,528 
			 2006-07 16,467 
			 2007-08 12,052 
			 200S-09 8,058 
		
	
	From 2005-06 figures are reckoned on a different basis to reflect costs more fully.

Departmental Translation Services

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average cost per word of outsourced translations of his Department's documents has been in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office pays an average of 10p per word for outsourced translation of documents.